Notorious strongman Mikey Schultz, who confessed to murdering mining magnate Brett Kebble, surrendered all his firearms to the police on Friday, just over three months after being re-issued with licences for five weapons.

This comes two weeks after Weekend Argus revealed that police had re-armed two of Kebble’s three self-confessed killers – Schultz, 39, and Nigel McGurk, 40 – at the end of last year.

National police spokesman Captain Dennis Adriao said last night Schultz had on Friday voluntarily surrendered all his weapons to the Sandton police, “pending the outcome of an investigation”.

Asked to comment, Schultz responded in an SMS: “My response to you is… Yes, I was requested to hand my firearms in and as any law-abiding citizen, that is exactly what I done. So thank you, and as I said before: now go f..k yourself.”

Police are now investigating how it happened that the police themselves had re-issued five weapons licences to Schultz and four to McGurk.

“Our investigation is still continuing,” Adriao said.

Only applicants who are mentally stable and not inclined to violence can be granted firearm licences, according to the Firearms Control Act. Also, people accused of violence should be subjected to an inquiry into their fitness to own a firearm before a gun licence is granted.

On December 5 police re-issued Schultz, a 37-year-old boxer and bouncer, with licences for a Vektor rifle, a Colt pistol, a 9mm Astra, a 9mm Glock and a .40 S&W Taurus.

A few months earlier, on September 8, McGurk, who runs a tyre fitment centre, was re-issued with licences for two shotguns, a Maverick and an Eibar, as well as a .38 Special Taurus and a .40 S&W from Heckler&Koch.

Adriao refused to say how many weapons Schultz surrendered. He also refused to comment on the status of McGurk’s firearm licences.

Before the two killed Kebble in September 2005, in what they claimed was an “assisted suicide”, they were involved in numerous fights and shooting incidents during their time as bouncers with the Elite group, which controlled security at clubs in northern and central Joburg.

Schultz, McGurk and a third man, Fiazal “Kappie” Smith, were granted indemnity from prosecution for the Kebble murder in exchange for their testimony against alleged crime syndicate boss and convicted drug trafficker Glen Agliotti. However, instead of implicating him, their testimony exonerated Agliotti and he was discharged in 2010.

They also received indemnity from prosecution for arranging criminals to shoot an enemy of Kebble a month before they shot Kebble. Allan Gray chief investment officer Stephen Mildenhall survived after being shot in Claremont on August 31, 2005.